List of Sicilian dishes facts for kids
Welcome to the amazing world of Sicilian food! Sicily is a beautiful island in Italy, and its food tells a story of all the different cultures that have lived there over thousands of years. Think of it like a delicious mix of Italian, Spanish, Greek, and even Arab flavors. This article will introduce you to some of the most famous and tasty dishes from Sicily.
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Tasty Sicilian Dishes
A tasty Scaccia with tomato, ricotta cheese, and onion.
Stigghiole cooking at a market.
Sicily is famous for many unique dishes. Here are some of the most popular ones:
Main Dishes and Snacks
- Arancini (or arancine): These are super popular! They are fried rice balls filled with different yummy things like meat sauce, cheese, or vegetables. They are covered in breadcrumbs and fried until golden. People say they were first made in Sicily about 1,000 years ago!
- Cannoli: A classic Sicilian sweet treat! Cannoli are crispy pastry shells shaped like tubes, filled with a sweet and creamy ricotta cheese.
- Caponata: This is a cooked vegetable salad. It's made with chopped fried eggplant and celery, seasoned with a sweet and sour vinegar sauce, and often includes capers. It's a mix of flavors that makes it really special.
- Crocchè: Imagine mashed potatoes mixed with egg, covered in breadcrumbs, and then fried until crispy. That's a crocchè!
- Panelle: These are Sicilian fritters made from chickpea flour. They are a very popular street food in Palermo, often served in a sandwich.
- Pani câ meusa: This is a unique street food sandwich from Palermo. It's made with organ meats (like lung and spleen) and sometimes sausage, served in a sesame-seed bun called Vastedda.
- Sicilian pizza: Pizza from Sicily is often different from what you might expect. In the United States, "Sicilian pizza" usually means a thick-crust or deep-dish pizza, which comes from the Sicilian sfincione.
- Stigghiola: This is a traditional street food made from spiced and grilled lamb or goat intestines. It's a very local specialty!
- Melanzane ripiene: This dish features eggplants that are hollowed out and then filled with a delicious mixture, often including meat, cheese, or other vegetables, before being baked.
Pasta Dishes
- Pasta 'ncasciata: This is a baked pasta dish with many different versions. It often includes macaroni pasta, meat sauce (ragù), eggplant, basil, cheese, and sometimes meatballs or other ingredients.
- Pasta alla Norma: A famous pasta dish from Sicily! It's made with pasta, a fresh tomato sauce, fried eggplant, salty ricotta cheese, and fresh basil. It's named after a famous opera!
- Pasta con le sarde: This pasta dish combines fresh sardines and anchovies with wild fennel, pine nuts, and raisins. It's a mix of sweet and savory flavors that truly represents Sicily.
- Pesto alla trapanese: This is a Sicilian version of the famous pesto sauce, typical of the province of Trapani. Unlike green pesto, it's made with tomatoes, garlic, basil, almonds, and olive oil. It's said that sailors from Genoa brought the idea of garlic-based sauces to Trapani a long time ago.
- Pasta chi Vrocculi Arriminati: This pasta dish from Palermo usually has long pasta like spaghetti or bucatini, cauliflower, onions, raisins, anchovies, pine nuts, and saffron. It's a rich and flavorful dish.
Salads
A refreshing Sicilian orange salad.
- Sicilian orange salad (insalata di arance): This is a refreshing salad that uses oranges as its main ingredient. It's often served at the beginning or end of a meal and includes olive oil, salt, and sometimes spring onions.
- Pantelleria salad (insalata pantesca): This salad comes from the island of Pantelleria. It's made with tomatoes, boiled potatoes, red onions, and mackerel (or fresh cheese), seasoned with olive oil, oregano, and capers.
Delicious Sicilian Drinks
Sicily also has some special drinks to try:
- Amaro Averna: This is a dark, herbal liqueur with a slightly bitter taste, often enjoyed after a meal.
- Marsala wine: A famous fortified wine from the city of Marsala in Sicily. It's used in cooking and as a dessert wine.
- Zibibbo: A sweet wine made from Zibibbo grapes, known for its rich, fruity flavor.
Sodas
- Sibat Tomarchio
- Bibite Polara
Sicilian Cheeses
Sicily makes many delicious cheeses, often from sheep or goat milk.
- Caciocavallo and Ragusano cheese: These are stretched-curd cheeses, a bit like mozzarella, but often aged longer.
- Canestrato: A hard cheese made from a mix of sheep and goat milk.
- Ricotta: A fresh, soft cheese made from whey, often used in both sweet and savory dishes.
- Pecorino siciliano: A strong, salty cheese made from sheep's milk, very popular in Sicilian cooking.
- Sicilian cheeses
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Straddled forms of caciocavallo hang to mature
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Stoccafisso alla messinese
Sweet Sicilian Desserts
Delicious Gelato.
Sicily is famous for its incredible sweets and desserts!
- Cannoli: (Mentioned before, but worth repeating for desserts!) Crispy pastry tubes filled with sweet ricotta cheese.
- Cassata: A traditional Sicilian cake made with sponge cake, ricotta cheese, candied fruit, and often covered in marzipan. It's very colorful!
- Cioccolato di Modica: A special kind of chocolate from Modica, made using an ancient Aztec method that gives it a unique, crumbly texture.
- Frutta martorana: These are beautiful, realistic-looking marzipan fruits. They are so pretty, you might think they are real!
- Gelato and Ice cream: Sicilian gelato is famous for being rich and creamy, with many amazing flavors.
- Granita: A semi-frozen dessert made from sugar, water, and various flavorings. It's like a very fine, icy slushie, perfect for a hot day!
- Sicilian desserts and sweets
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Granita di menta (mint granita)
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Crocette di Caltanissetta to lemon and orange left to right
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Spina santa di Caltanissetta in memory of the Passion of Christ
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Rollò di Caltanissetta
Fruits and Vegetables from Sicily
Sicily's rich soil and sunny climate mean it grows amazing fruits and vegetables.
- Aglio Rosso di Nubia: A special red garlic from Nubia, known for its strong flavor.
- Cipolla di Giarratana: A very large, sweet onion from Giarratana.
- Pomodoro di Pachino: Small, sweet tomatoes from Pachino, famous for their intense flavor.
- Siracusa lemon: Lemons from Syracuse, known for their juicy and fragrant qualities.
- Sicilian fruits and vegetables
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See also
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List of Sicilian dishes Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.